When the NBA moves, it doesn't do things by halves. On the occasion of the first regular season match played in France (Friday, January 24 in the grounds of Bercy), the North American Basketball League has multiplied the events in the French capital – matches for young people, "house of the NBA ”, interventions by former glories or stars of the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets, the two belligerent teams.
On the sidelines of this meeting, the boss of the NBA, the "commissioner" Adam Silver received journalists on Thursday to discuss the future of the League, the globalization of the discipline and the strong link between the basketball superpower worldwide with France.
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Will this grand premiere have a sequel? Can you tell us if an NBA match will also be held in Paris next season?
Yes, we will play in Paris again in January (2021) ! There is no shortage of candidate teams, but for the moment, the poster is not yet fixed.
The craze is immense. Both from our franchises and from the public – we have not yet played this first match in Bercy, and many people are still trying to buy tickets… So we will come back, and we will play in Paris for many years, even if for the moment the only firm commitment concerns 2021.
You know our calendar, it is overloaded. Each NBA team plays 82 regular season games. This is what prevents us for the moment from changing the formula of these international matches, even if we look carefully at what the others are doing. (the NFL – the American football league – in particular, which regularly organizes games in London). So next year the program will look a lot like this year’s. But we hope to extend this in the future, in order to allow more games abroad to be played.
After nine years in London, you are in Paris. Why this interest now for the French capital?
First, France is a big market for basketball. There is a long tradition here, and an excellent federation, which trains an impressive number of NBA players, year after year. And Paris is very attractive to fans, not just those from America, but from all over Europe. By announcing the date well in advance, we made this mid-season event a sort of European All-Star Game; people come to watch a match, regardless of the teams competing, or the outcome.
Afterwards, we are here for the same reasons that make the whole world love to visit Paris. It is a magnificent city, with a luxury hotel and an important tourist activity… Besides, for this match, the two teams have a lot of guides, and the fact of playing here is not trivial from this point of view. Everyone was excited about coming. For several years, (Bercy) was under construction, which delayed our return (if Friday's match will be the first official meeting, several preseason matches have already taken place in Paris). But the time had come.
How were Charlotte and Milwaukee, the franchises for this match, chosen?
This is a set of criteria, starting with the interest of the teams, the popularity of their players, and the links they have with the city. For example, being able to bring a French player home is clearly one of the things we look at, even if it is far from being the only element retained. This year, Milwaukee leads the NBA, and has, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, a European player (he is Greek) who is also our MVP (most valuable player, best player) In title. As for Charlotte, not only do they have a French player, Nicolas Batum, captain of the French team, but it is also the franchise of Michael Jordan. And this owner wanted to return to Paris, where he was already immensely popular as a player and developed a business flourishing.
Many teams are applying for next year. For reasons of jet lag, it is easier for us to bring teams from the Eastern conference, because their movement is easier. But we can consider improving our schedule, and selecting a team from the Western Conference, sending them on a road trip to the East Coast, before taking them across the Atlantic, then going straight home after the match. There is no shortage of candidates.
More and more foreign players, especially European players, are playing in the NBA. Do you think about how to maintain a balance with the clubs that train these players, and better compensate them when they sign a big contract, for example?
We talk a lot about this with FIBA (International Basketball Federation) and our international partners, to try to define what a just system would be. Since the last time we played in Paris, in preseason ten years ago, the number of European players has increased in the NBA, as well as their quality. They are spectacular! Let it be Giannis (Antetokounmpo) or Luka (Doncic), some of our best players come from the Old Continent. We recognize that the world’s basketball ecosystem must be healthy for the sport to continue to thrive. It cannot be the NBA and nothing else, we need national federations, leagues, clubs.
Especially since we keep learning from the different training systems in place, especially by interviewing our foreign players. Because in many cases, they work better than in the United States. Obviously, we continue to train many elite players, because we also have a large pool, but we must be inspired by the way we learn, here, the fundamentals and values of basketball, without neglecting education .
In addition to this match in Europe, the NBA continues to develop projects around the world. What are you targeting?
To a certain extent, I'm a little jealous of football (Laughs). Objectively, we can say that the two biggest sports in the world are, in this order, football and basketball. And if I'm, personally, a fan of the first, it's fun to target them in an attempt to catch up with them globally. Obviously, if young people do not play basketball, we prefer that they play football rather than staying all day on social networks without playing sports at all.
But what really matters to us is that our sport is growing all over the world, without taking care of others. This is why we are also active in many markets, with matches in China, India or the launch of a league in Africa.
